Game of Prophecy
by Erestor Telemnar
Summary: Three gods were sealed away, cast out by their own child. An ancient prophecy foretold their return, even as it foretold the arrival of a group destined to thwart their return. Read & review please. I also accept anonymous reviews. On a long hold.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

When the world was young, two unnamed forces contended for the dominion of the universe. One was pure white, and believed in the purity of the mind and body, seeking to share its wisdom among all. The other was dark, holding contempt and hatred as dark as itself for his counterpart, and sought to twist his partner's teachings into his own demented version. And as the two forces contended, mortals on Earth watched their encounters and in time, gave them names. The white one was named Good and the other was named Evil.

After countless of encounters and equal ties, the two forces decided that they will have one final showdown to settle the issue, and decided they that it will be a game of wit and skill. They chose Earth as their battleground, for the mortals on Earth known as man knew of their existence. Thus they traversed across stars, planets and lands until they came upon the ancient lands known as Egypt. And it was there did they began to take form.

For reasons unknown, Good splitted itself into two. One took the form of a serpent with scales decorating its red, almost endless body and two great wings and claws protruding from its front sides. It gave a frightening appearance with its two mouths, both filled sharp, glinting silver teeth. Its eyes glared yellow and the orb on its forehead glowed sapphire. With a mighty thrust of its wings, it launched itself into the sky and gave an earth-splitting roar which easily made the sun cower in fear.

The other took the form of what is known today as a griffin, a fabulous creature with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. Much like its brother, a sapphire orb glowed on his forehead as well. Combined with its shining gold body, it easily shamed the sun with its magnificence. As it finally to began to take form, it gave a loud roar, announcing its existence to the world. Taking its place beside its brother, they took home in the skies.

Evil, who wanted his own space, took home on the earth. Using a human as a reference, it shaped itself into its own version of a human. The result was terrifying to say the least. With spikes shooting out from its shoulders and crimson-red eyes, added with its dark blue and muscle-packed body, it gave a deadly appearance. Its forehead was stretched sideways with sharp spikes sticking out from them, forming a crown of sorts. It too had a sapphire orb on its forehead, though its glow was darker, almost black. As it heard the two roars in the distance, it reared its head and gave its response, challenging its counterparts' authority.

And the game began.

As both Good and Evil began spreading their influence, the people of Egypt came to fear and respect these new creatures and revered them as Gods. And they were named. The red serpent which dominated the sky was named Slifer the Sky Dragon, god of the underworld, for it was believed that its body was coated red with the blood of those who have died. The gold griffin was called The Winged Dragon of Ra, for its body shone with the light of Ra, the sun. And the last was named Obelisk the Tormenter, Lord of Destruction, for wherever it goes, destruction follows.

In time did the Gods learned that the humans possessed Ka, a soul that could be transformed into a monster given proper training. They too learned that the people of Egypt revered the pharaoh, believing that he was the son of God. Because the Gods needed a medium to give training to humans, decided they that they would make it true. And thus each God poured a portion of their knowledge and power into the unborn baby of Pharaoh Ramses, who was still in the wombs of his mother. When the baby was born it was evident that he was the son of Gods, for his hair had was of three colors- red, blue and gold- and he had eyes that shone crimson- a trait unseen before in the line of pharaohs. The baby was named Atemu.

As Atemu grew it became more evident that the power of the Gods was within him. At the minor age of two he mastered the Egyptian language- both in writing and speech. At the age of five, he was unbeaten and unbeatable in all games, earning him the title 'King of Games'. As he entered the world of politics at the age of eight, it took him only two hours before he had the entire court's ears and when he was brought to the battlefield at the age of nine, it was he who devised the strategy which brought the enemy to their knees. It was not until he ascended the throne when the Gods decided to intervene once more. By their own subtle means they taught him how to control Ka and summon his own soul monster. Then they manipulated him to spread the teaching through Egypt. It was not long before monsters became a common sight. These monsters were soon called Soul Monsters. And hell broke loose.

Although the methods of the Gods were subtle, they were not unnoticed by Pharaoh Atemu. Tired of being a pawn in their game the young pharaoh did research and finally found a way to challenge the Gods on equal grounds. Gathering his six high priests and priestess and, with their combined effort, he performed the Millennium Ritual and created the seven Millennium items- puzzle, ring, necklace, key, rod, eye and scales. Turning to his priests and priestesses, he said, "To each of you I will give a Millennium item. Guard it both with your body and your soul until I am ready." And guard it they did.

When it was his fourteenth birthday, he assembled his high priests and priestess once more and decided it was time. Using his sharp wit, he tricked the Gods into going to a new 'realm' he 'discovered'. Only when the Gods stepped into the Shadow Realm did they noticed something amiss. And they confronted young Atemu about it.

The young pharaoh merely said, "It is time." And the eye of Horus appeared on his forehead. Invoking the power of the Millennium Items, he challenged the Gods to a Shadow Game.

The Gods, who thought they were superior in both wit and skill, merely laughed in contempt as they accepted his challenge, unknowingly falling into his trap. And thus the Shadow Game began.

In terms of power, the Gods were indeed superior compared to Atemu. However the Shadow Games were more than just power alone. Besides that, the Gods were unversed in the rules of a Shadow Game and were soon easy plucking for Atemu. The game was not totally in the control of Atemu, however. Unused to invoking a Shadow Game, the young pharaoh was soon getting drained and started making costly mistakes. And the game ended in a tie.

As a final resort, the pharaoh leapt out of the Shadow Realm and sealed it along with the three Gods. Collapsing out of weariness, he prayed that the seal would remain there forever. However the High Priestess Isis, holder of the Millennium Necklace, informed him that it would not. "The seal would not remain forever my pharaoh. In order for it to become unbreakable it will have to be reinforced one more time." She told him her vision of the future and that he will have to plan how to reinforce the seal. And plan he did.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh. I only own the characters and cards I created.

_Italic _means thinking and stuff.

And I forgot to put this in the Prologue. This story was inspired by Celtic Guardian 7's 'Teknisk Wereld'. Check it out.

Special thanks to those who reviewed.

* * *

Beep! Beep! Beep! 

14 year old Lyn Feiniel groaned as she sluggishly reached out and slammed the off button on her alarm. Pulling the clock so that it faced her, she noted that the time was seven o'clock in the morning.

_Seven o'clock in the morning? Why did I set my alarm so early? _

She glanced at the calendar beside her bed.

_12th of August 2108. Nope. Nothing important as far as I can remember._

She threw the covers aside, sat up right and frowned. Usually when she set her alarm early and could not remember what for, it meant two things. Either she forgot to set her alarm correctly or there was a really important issue that needed to be settled soon. The latter was usually the case. Her eyes scanned the room, searching for clues.

_Let's see. Unfinished story book on the chair. Clothes decorating the floor._ She made a mental note to clean that up later. _Duel Monster cards scattered on the desk. Big red bal- wait a minute. Duel Monster cards scattered on the desk? _She mentally slapped herself. Of course. Today was the day she was going to get her Soul Monster. But wait, that would mean-

"Lyn Feiniel! If you don't come down in exactly 3 minutes you can wait another year to get your Soul Monster!" A piercing voice came from below.

With a loud 'Yipes' she quickly dashed into the bathroom, picking random clothes on the way and quickly got out of her pajamas and into whatever clothing she picked up. After quickly splashing her face and running her hand through her raven hair, she ran down the stairs and arrived at the kitchen where her mother had shouted from moments before. "I'm here," she huffed.

Her mother raised her eyebrows. "Uh… dear, I know you're excited to get your Soul Monster, but are you sure you want to appear in public wearing that?" she asked gently.

Checking herself over, Lyn blushed as she realized she just changed into her other pajamas. "I'll be right back," she breathed as she raced up the stairs again.

"Don't worry dear, I was only joking. Take your time and don't forget your deck." Her mother said and shook her head.

After spending some time changing into a white tank top and blue jeans, shoving her deck into her pocket and properly combing her hair back, she walked down the stairs in a more calm and carefree. Getting a nod of approval from her mother, she sat down and helped herself to a toast. "So mom, where are we going to get my Soul Monster?" she asked as she chewed her toast.

"The Isthal Institution (I.I.) branch at Serk. That's the closest one, only about 15 minutes of walk," she replied.

"What monster do you think I'll get?"

"One that matches what you are inside."

"That's what you always say," she grumbled. Then a thought came to her. "What if he doesn't get along with me?" she asked worriedly.

Giving her daughter a peculiar look, she answered, "That is unlikely to happen unless you are a person who denies your inner feelings. What makes you think it'll be a he anyway?"

She shrugged as she helped herself to another toast. "I don't know. Probably because most monsters that are of distinguishable gender are males."

"True." She glanced at the clock. "Well, we better get going if we want to avoid the traffic." They both got up and left.

* * *

After 15 minutes of traveling, they arrived at the I.I. building of Serk. With the exception of the initials I.I. at the front, the building didn't really stand out. They went in and were greeted by the receptionist. 

"Greetings, can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, my daughter is here to get her Soul Monster." Before the receptionist could say another word, she produced a filled form and handed it to her. "I've already filled the form as required."

The receptionist checked the form and nodded. "This seems to be in order. Go through that door," she gestured towards the door on the right, "and enter the third red door room on the right." She began keying in the information. "Oh, and only the person who is going to get the Soul Monster is allowed." She added.

Lyn looked at her mother, who gave her a reassuring smile. "Off you go dear." She entered.

Taking an immediate right turn, she walked down a long hallway before she arrived at the door. She took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing," she muttered as she entered.

The room was not very big. A man stood behind a counter in the centre of the room. To his right was a large chair with a helmet placed on it. The helmet was wired to the counter, which was wired to a machine on its left. The machine had a transparent sphere on top of it. There seemed to be a card placed inside the sphere. The man did not say anything but merely gestured at the seat. Lyn sat herself down and fastened the helmet. The man quickly pushed a few buttons and the helmet turned on. Lyn stiffened but forced herself to relax.

"Correct me if I am wrong," the man said mechanically. "Name: Lyn Feiniel. Age: 14 years old. Blood Type: O. Date of birth: 2nd of September 2093. Gender: Female." He paused and looked at her for confirmation. She nodded. "Father: Theore Feiniel-deceased. Mother: Rosa Feiniel. Relatives: None. Survival Basics: Incomplete. Teacher: Rosa Feiniel. Duel Record: None." Once again she nodded. He pushed a button on the counter. "Please allow a few minutes for the process to take place. Kindly do NOT remove the helmet while the process is taking place."

What followed was the strangest experience Lyn ever felt. It was as if there was a ghostly hand on her head gently stroking her head while removing something from her. Normally she would have panicked and tore the helmet off but the feeling on her head felt soothing and reassuring. Minutes passed until the sphere beeped and opened.

The man removed the card in the sphere and plunged it into a slot at the counter. After several button-mashing he began to speak again, "This," he held the card, "is your Soul Monster's card. It contains general information about your Soul Monster." Two items appeared on his right. One can be easily identified as a Duel Disk. The other seemed to be a slotted wrist-guard of sorts. "This is your Duel Disk. And this is your Duel Band. This is the place where your Soul Monster 'sleeps'. By inserting the Soul Monster's card while he is in it, he will be able to recuperate. There are also various other features that you will have to discover yourself. Any questions?" he asked as he handed her the three items.

"What happens if my Soul Monster's card is torn?" she asked as she strapped on her Duel Disk and Duel Band. Bringing out her deck, she slid it into her Duel Disk, amazed at how easily it went in.

"Your Soul Monster will be kicked out of the card. He can still recuperate like normal humans, though the process is faster when you use the Duel Band. And no, you can't repair the torn card." He answered automatically, as if he had been asked the question so many times it became a habit.

Pocketing her Soul Monster's card, she thanked him. Then she went outside to her waiting mom.

* * *

The journey home had been quiet. Lyn was surprised that her mother had not spoken a single word on the way back. She seemed to be preoccupied with something, not even noticing when they had reached home. 

"Mom, we're home now," Lyn told her.

Her mother only sighed. "I guess it couldn't be avoided," she said. "Go to my room. You'll find a packed bag and a Duel Disk on the table. Bring them."

Lyn looked at her mom oddly but she did as she was told. She found the bag lying on the floor, a dark blue traveling bag with two front pockets. Swinging the bag over her shoulder, she almost fell back due to the extra weight. After spending a minute or two adjusting herself, she grabbed the Duel Disk and headed outside.

Rosa Feiniel took the Duel Disk from her daughter. When she tried to give her the bag, she just shook her head and motioned to her to put it down.

"Where are we going mother?" Lyn asked.

"Not 'we' dear. You. You're going to leave home and travel for a while. And if I guessed correctly, it'll be a long while." She answered sadly.

Lyn only looked at her mother a while, as if she had expected that. "Why?" she merely asked.

"Because of a favor I owe. And because it will help you, in more ways than one." She looked at Lyn. "You don't seem very surprised." She noted.

"I'm not. Well, not really. It just that I somehow knew that I would be leaving home soon, for reasons I don't know."

"It's just like she said," her mother said with a sigh. "Well, I wouldn't be much of a mother if I let you go unprepared. In that bag you will find all your clothes packed. At the front pockets I have given you a few cards and a map. Make good use of them. And finally, I'm going to finish teaching you the basics of survival. I'm going to explain to you how to duel." And she did, starting with the basics to the more advanced plays. She also told her that their Soul Monsters would also be their Deck Masters and began elaborating about them.

"Any questions?" she asked after she finished explaining. Lyn shook her head. "Good. Now to cap it all up," she looked at her daughter, "we're going to duel."

Lyn did not say a word. She merely took her place opposite her mother and activated her Duel Disk. As she made to use her Soul Monster's card, her mother told her no. "We'll play without the use of our Deck Masters. Having their ability is nice, but it's not good for you to depend on them. You can get acquainted with your Soul Monster later." She replaced the card in her pocket and drew five cards.

Rosa mimicked her daughter's actions. "You start."

Lyn: 8000

Rosa: 8000

Lyn drew her card. "I'll set one monster in defense and one card facedown. End turn."

"I'll do the same and end my turn." Rosa said as she set one monster card and one card face-down.

Lyn raised her eyebrows at her mother's actions but kept quiet. "I'll set another monster in defense and end my turn."

Rosa could only smirk at her daughter's reaction. "I'll set another monster in defense too. End turn."

"Mom, stop copying me. One card in defense and end turn."

Rosa grinned. "One card in defense and end turn." She mimicked.

That did it. Lyn wasn't sure what made her snap; the fact that her mother kept mimicking her actions or the fact that she wasn't even taking this duel very seriously. "I'll flip summon all my monsters. Meet Vampire Lady (1550/1550), Needle Worm (750/600) and Sangan (1000/600). Because I flipped summon Needle Worm you have to discard 5 cards from the top of your deck to the graveyard." She watched as her mother calmly deposited five cards into her graveyard and that seemed to frustrate her even more. "And now all my monsters attack."

"An important lesson for you, daughter: Never let your opponent get to you. It can spell doom for you. You triggered my trap card. Go Mirror Force!"

Lyn could only watch as her monsters ran into the barrier. She felt her temper rising again from being toyed so easily and forced it down. _Keep calm_, she told herself. "Because Sangan was sent to the graveyard I get to choose one monster card from my deck with an attack of 1500 or lower and add it to my hand. My deck is then shuffled. End turn."

"Good. You managed to control your anger," her mother congratulated her. "I'll lay one card down and flip summon my Skilled Dark Magician (1900/1700) and Skilled White Magician (1700/1900). I play Jar of Greed and draw two cards." She drew her cards. "Not bad. By the way, both of my magicians gain magic counters when magic cards are played until they have three."

"What do those counters do?"

Rosa grinned. "You'll see. Both of my magicians attack directly."

"I activate Magic Cylinder and reflect you Skilled Dark Magician's attack back to you."

"Not bad. I'll end my turn."

Lyn: 6300

Rosa: 6100

Lyn drew. "I set one monster in defense mode and lay two cards. I'll end my turn here."

After drawing her card, Rosa said, "I already won. A word of advice: Don't lay too many cards down without protection. I play Heavy Storm. This destroys all magic and trap cards on the field."

"Your card is destroyed too." Lyn pointed out.

"Sometimes sacrifices must be made. My magicians gain another counter. I play Nobleman of Crossout to destroy your facedown card and remove it from play. If it has a flip effect we must both remove all monsters of the same name from our decks and remove them from play. Our decks are then reshuffled."

"That was my Cyber Jar."

"And another counter is added to both of my magicians. Now I will use their effect. If they have three magic counters, I can tribute Skilled Dark Magician to special summon Dark Magician (2500/2100) from my hand, deck or graveyard and Skilled White Magician to special summon Buster Blader (2600/2300). I'll summon them both from my deck in attack mode and flip my facedown Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200). All of them attack directly. I lay two cards down and end my turn."

Lyn: 100

Rosa: 6100

Lyn examined the card she just drew. "This might work. I summon The Fiend Megacyber (2200/1200) in attack mode." A yellow monster appeared on the field. Two lightning symbols decorated his chest while spikes shot out of his shoulders. A blue aura surrounded him. "Then I'll equip him with Axe of Despair, raising his attack by 1000 (3200/1200)." An axe appeared in front of the monster and he grasped it tightly.

Rosa frowned at this. "That raises two questions. How did you summon him without tribute? He's a level six monster."

"I can special summon him without tribute when you have two more monsters than me."

"And what theme is your deck running?"

"Theme? What's that?"

Rosa sighed. "I told you about it last month Lyn. Long story cut short, your deck's theme is what your deck concentrates on. Some examples are beatdown, burner and attributes. And you choose cards that support your theme. That way, you'll know what your deck is doing. If you don't have a theme, you'll just be playing randomly without a proper plan, which, most of the time, will mess your game up. You can even choose a single monster card as your theme. Then you concentrate on cards which support him, whether on bringing him out or helping him in battle." She paused. "It'll be easier for you to duel if you make a deck that can take advantage of your Deck Master's ability."

Lyn nodded as she digested the information. "I see. I'll modify my deck later. Back on the duel, my monster attacks your witch."

Lyn: 100

Rosa: 4000

"You should have attacked my Buster Blader or Dark Magician. Too bad. I can pick one monster with a defense of 1500 or lower form my deck due to my witch's effect." The deck was then reshuffled. "And I draw one card, not that it matters. I play the magic card Polymerization and fuse my Dark Magician and Buster Blade to form Dark Paladin (2900/2400)."

"His attack isn't strong enough to beat my monster."

"You didn't let me finish. I activate my facedown card: DNA Surgery and choose dragons. Now all face up monster cards are of Dragon Sub-Type."

"How does that help you?"

"Why don't you look at my monster's stats again dear?" Rosa suggested with a grin.

Lyn looked at the Dark Paladin and was shocked to see that its stats had risen to (3900/2400). "What? How?"

"Dark Paladin gains 500 attack points for each face up Dragon Sub-Type monsters on the field and in the graveyard. And since I changed both our monster's Sub-Type to dragons my monster gains 1000 attack points. Dark Paladin attacks The Fiend Megacyber for the win."

The armored monster held its sword high above its head and brought it down in a smooth arc, slashing both monster and axe in half.

Lyn: 0

Rosa: 4000

The Duel Disks were immediately deactivated. "Good job. You did well for a first timer, cutting my Life Points in half. Now off you go then."

Lyn did not move for a moment. Then she tightly embraced her mother. "Will I be welcome here again?" she asked.

"Silly girl, of course you will be. This is your home after all." Rosa's voice was getting shakier by the minute as she felt the tears well up in her eyes.

"Thanks mom." After saying good byes, she picked up her bag and left.

Rosa stared at her daughter's fading figure for a moment before collapsing in tears. "Be safe Lyn. Be safe."


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh. But I do own the characters and some cards I created.

Celtic Guardian 7: I love the name Lyn too and yes, I remember Hope's full name: Hope Lyn Giles. Btw, if you find some names too common and similar, please don't be angry at me. I have littleto no problem writing a story but creating names gives me migraine.

* * *

_Okay, I'm away from home. Now what? I don't even have any idea what I'm supposed to do or where to go._

Lyn sighed bitterly as she tried to decide on what to do. She had arrived at Serk yet again and had purchased several booster packs from the local card shop. Tearing the tops apart, she was both happy and disappointed at the cards she had gotten. To help herself relax and build her new deck, she went to a café and ordered an ice lemon tea. As she looked over her new cards again, she went over what her mother had told her about deck-building.

_It's important to build your deck around a theme. This way you know what your deck is supposed to do. Without a deck theme you'll just be playing randomly with whatever cards that comes into your hand. There are many themes you can play, so I'll leave it up to you to choose from the notes I've given you. As an example though, I'll tell you my own. My theme is quite simple, based around a monster card, Black Paladin. I concentrate on cards which help him. To bring him out, I needed Buster Blader and Dark Magician. Therefore, I concentrate on cards which help me bring the both of them out, which were Skilled Dark Magician and Skilled White Magician. Then, in order to strengthen him, I use the trap card DNA Surgery with a few others._

That was what her mother had said a month ago. She remembered now. Still, it did not help make things any easier. Thinking about what theme to build from gave her a headache. Sighing in frustration, she frowned as she tried to remember something else her mother had said, something more recent.

_It'll be easier for you to duel if you make a deck that can take advantage of your Deck Master's ability._

Of course. That was what she had said during their duel. Lyn's hand went to her pocket and she retrieved her Soul Monster's card. She looked at the blank front and tapped at it thoughtfully.

_No use wondering what it is. Might as well just unleash it to find out,_ she told herself. She slid the card into her Duel Band.

At first nothing happened, then suddenly came something that she could only describe as a miniature tornado. It happened so surprisingly that she ducked and covered herself without thought. When the tornado stopped, she raised her head slightly and found a tall man standing in front of her. He had shining emerald hair and wore an odd outfit-one of those traditional clothing that came from some culture she could not remember- which colors matched his hair. The long-sleeved clothing was the least unusual thing about him though. His entire skin seemed to be purple in color, his eyes a shade of crimson and there was a gold headband around his forehead. In his hand he held a wand. It had four spikes protruding one-sided from it. In the centre there was an emerald orb which shone brightly in the afternoon glare of sunlight.

As she continued to gape at the stranger, she noted how the air seemed to circle around him. She closed her mouth and almost hesitantly asked, "So are you my Soul Monster?" When the question left her mouth she mentally slapped herself. Of course he was her Soul Monster.

"Of course," he replied politely. He held his hand forward. "I am Silphatos-short name, Sil. It's a pleasure to meet you Miss…"

"Feiniel, Lyn Feiniel." She shook his hand and was amazed at how real it felt.

_Strange. His hand seems so real. I thought that he would be like the rest of the Duel Monsters, all mere holograms. But then, I never touched them before either._

"Miss, here's your drink and your free booster pack." The voice snapped her back to reality and she looked up to see the waitress who took her order.

"Free booster pack?" she asked confusingly.

"You didn't know? My, you must be pretty lucky then. Our manager has decided to offer free booster packs to new duelists who comes to our café. And you just got the last one. You're very lucky if you ask me.

"How did know I was new?"

The waitress smiled. "Judging by how you were gaping at your Soul Monster, it's obvious to see that you never saw him before, which could mean that you are a seasoned duelist who never relied on you Deck Master or you are new. And seeing how young you are, it's no surprise I guessed the latter."

"I see. Well, thanks for the gift." She was about to open the pack when suddenly a youth came stumbling into the café unceremoniously. He hurriedly got up and brushed himself. Standing slightly taller than Lyn herself, the boy seemed to be around her age. With his dark hair combed sideways, parted at the middle, he smiled almost sheepishly and apologized for the mess he caused. He was clad in simple light blue t-shirt and jeans and strapped on his left arm were a Duel Disk and a Duel Band.

"Hi," he said excitedly, "I heard about the free booster packs. May I have one?"

"I'm sorry young sir. But the lady here has already got the last one. Tough luck." The waitress informed him.

"Awh man, I wanted that free booster pack." He looked at Lyn up and down. "Alright, I'm challenging you to a duel. Winner gets the booster pack," he declared boldly.

Lyn was not certain whether his bravado was to intimidate her or to impress her. What she did know was that it definitely did not achieve its desired effect. Finishing her lemon tea, she replaced several cards in her deck, stood up and activated her Duel Disk. "Fine with me."

_No time to ask Silphatos what his ability is. Oh well, I'll find out in this duel anyway. _

"The name's Lyn Feiniel. My Deck Master will be Silphatos, a-"she looked at him hesitantly.

"-Silpheed," he supplied.

"Right, call him Sil. And you are?"

"Ryan Randal." He flashed her a grin as he put on his sunglasses and slid a card- which Lyn presumed to be his Soul Monster's card- into his Duel Band. A blinding white light flashed in front of them. Lyn shielded her eyes from the glare. When the light subsided, she found herself looking at a knight in shining armor riding his majestic horse… well, almost. Standing in beside Ryan was a knight riding on a winged dragon. He wore a silver armor trimmed with gold and held a sword in his hand. His cape billowed in the breeze as he raised his sword and his dragon roared. Lyn had to cover her ears-as did Silphatos- when it did.

"Greetings," he intoned formally.

"Meet Ryu, Paladin of White Dragon." Ryan introduced.

_He's certainly one for drama,_ Lyn thought. She shrugged.

"Duel," they both cried out simultaneously.

Lyn: 8000

Ryan: 8000

"Ladies first," Ryan said politely.

"How gentlemanly," Lyn murmured. She drew her card. "One card in defense mode. End turn."

"No trap cards? How unusual. Draw." He drew his card and placed it in face-down defense mode. "And three cards face-down as well." He gestured for Lyn to continue.

Lyn drew and grinned. "I play Heavy Storm which destroys all our trap and magic cards from field." A huge storm suddenly came out of nowhere and blew Ryan's three cards away. "One monster in defense and one card face-down. End turn."

Ryan growled as his cards were blown away. He was about to snap when he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked back. Ryu was holding him back with his free arm. "Calmly my friend," he told him.

Ryan took a deep breath and drew. "Alright, lets bring up the pace a little. I flip-summon my Big Eye (1200/1000)." A monster suddenly appeared. It had two large eyes, one on its forehead and the other on his neck. Eyes covered his entire body. Lyn averted her own eyes from the disturbing sight.

"I'm sorry, is it too terrible to look at? I'll remedy that soon. Before I do however, I get to see the five top cards on my deck and rearrange them in any order I want." He picked up five cards, frowned and put them back without changing their order. "That was certainly a waste. Anyways, I tribute my Big Eye for Luster Dragon (2400/1400) in attack mode."

Big Eye shimmered out of the field, replaced by the beautiful emerald dragon, which roared as it landed came into the field.

"Beautiful, isn't she? One card face-down and Luster Dragon attacks the monster card on the left." The dragon raised its head and cold, icy breath shot out from its mouth, obliterating the monster card- which flipped to reveal a Vampire Lady (1550/1550). She screamed as the icy breath engulfed her, and when it cleared, only an ice sculpture of her was left. It started to crack and suddenly exploded.

Lyn- who was momentarily mesmerized by the dragon's beauty- snapped back into attention when her Duel Disk suddenly beeped, mentally berating herself for not activating her trap card. Text suddenly appeared in front of her. She read through them and grinned. "Well, this is an interesting effect," she told Ryan. "I activate my Deck Master's Ability. When one of my monsters is destroyed in battle, you get to roll a die." A die appeared in front of Ryan. He looked it oddly.

"Is this supposed to frighten me?" he asked. Picking the die up, he tossed it negligently.

"That depends entirely on what number you get. Get 1 and you'll have to discard one card from your hand. 2 and you'll have to discard one from the top of your deck. 3 and you lose your entire hand. If it lands on a 4 then you get to draw a card. Nothing happens if you get a 5, while I get to draw a card if you get a 6. The chances of you losing a card, or several cards-by my calculations- are 50. Luckily for you it can only be used once."

The die continued rolling on the floor until it came to a stop on… 3.

Ryan snarled as he slammed his entire hand into his graveyard. He glared at Lyn, who returned it. "End …turn." It seemed that he was having trouble keeping his temper in check. Once again, Ryu restrained him.

Lyn drew and slammed one monster card onto her Duel Disk. "I set another monster. End turn."

Ryan frowned at his opponent's moves. _What is she doing? She been playing defense ever since we started._ "I summon Sonic Bird (1400/1000). When it is normal summoned I get to move a Ritual card from my deck to my hand." He picked his card and watched as his deck reshuffled itself. "And Sonic Bird attacks the card you just set."

"I trigger my trap card Negate Attack. Your attack is negated and your battle phase immediately ends."

"Not that I can do anything else anyway. End turn."

"Draw. I hope you have more copies of that Ritual card in your deck, because I'm going to get rid of it. And judging from your Deck Master, I have a very good idea what it is. I play D.D. Designator. I declare 1 card name and if that card is in your hand, it is removed from play. I declare White Dragon Ritual."

Sighing in defeat, Ryan shut his Duel Disk. "That's it. I concede defeat. You have every counter for each of my moves. There's no way I can beat you." He sighed bitterly again.

"What?" Lyn asked in disappointment. "You can't just give up that easily. Even losing can't be that bad. My mother told me that people learn from their losses. If you just admit defeat that easily, you might as well don't duel at all."

Ryan winced at the tone of her voice. Giving a sad smile and bowing his head, he told her, "Maybe, but you're good you know that?"

"Nonsense, I just got lucky with the die roll. That's all. You could have beaten me if you tried really hard."

"Perhaps," he said bitterly. "Well, I'll see you later." He turned and prepared to leave with Ryu.

"Wait! If I give you this booster pack, will you duel more seriously next time?"

When he turned again, there was a bright smile on his face. "I can try. But I feel bad getting free gifts. What say we trade cards?"

Lyn shrugged. "Fair enough for me."

* * *

The waitress who had served Lyn watched the exchange behind the curtains. Tracy had to admit the duel was interesting, as far as it went. But even more interesting was how Lyn offered the pack just to help the foolish boy. 

_Interesting girl. The master was right to be interested in her. _

She ran through her master's orders.

_A pity she'll have to die so soon, it might be interesting to watch her._

Whistling innocently, she returned to her job, not noticing a pair of eyes watching her.

* * *

After hours of trading, haggling and minor chit-chatting, Lyn and Ryan both decided to turn in for the night. They stayed at a local inn (in separate rooms). All in all it was a good day. Lyn got several new cards for her deck and made a new friend. 

"Say Sil, what do you think of Ryan and Ryu?" she asked her Soul Monster inside their room.

"He's a good person. A bit hot-tempered maybe, but nevertheless honest and sometimes amusing," he replied.

She grinned. "I thought the same." She checked her clock. "It's getting late. Why don't we go to sleep?"

"Okay." And he vanished into his card.

Lyn changed into her pajamas and tucked herself into bed, sleeping dreamlessly.

* * *

Standing outside the room, Tracy crouched low, hidden in the shadows. Putting her ears to the door, she waited until she heard Lyn's regular breathing. 

_Good, she's asleep._

Her hands went to her pocket, producing the spare key she had easily stolen from the counter. Unlocking the door, she pulled out a knife from her back. When she made to open the door, however, a hand clasped over her mouth, pulling her back sharply.

Instinct instantly kicked in. Bracing herself, she kicked at the floor hard, slamming herself into whoever was holding her. The person seemed to be unaffected, for moments later she felt something sharp entering her back. She felt her body growing numb all over. She was then dragged outside where she was thrown unceremoniously on the ground. As she tried to regain control over her limbs again, she looked at her attacker but all she saw was a hazy figure looming over her.

_Must be whatever poison he used on me, _she thought.

Then she felt pain explode on her back. She tried to scream but no sound came from her lips. The pain then traveled downwards, and then curved upwards. She gritted her teeth but found even that action denied to her. Every muscle on her body seemed unresponsive to her commands. The pain continued its unknown journey.

And she died screaming silently into the night.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh. I do own the characters and cards I created.

Note: Sorry for not updating for some time, I just came back from a break. The names in this story popped in my head and is no way related to real life.

My special thanks to those who took the trouble to review.

* * *

Jetson sighed happily as he sipped his morning coffee. The 38 year old detective had taken the day off from his tiring job today just to relax and planned to do so. Flipping the newspaper, he read through the daily news when suddenly his mobile phone rang. Picking it up, he frowned as he saw his partner's number on it. He pressed the receive button.

"Jetson here," he spoke into the phone.

"Jet, we've got a problem," his partner's voice came cutting through niceties. "There's been a murder at Serk. I need your help here. I'll give you the details when you get here."

"Lucian, today's my day off," he said irritably. "Can't you get Ron to help you?"

"No can do. He's on another case near Hugh," the voice that came through was tinged with regret. "I know you wanted to rest and relax buddy but this case is quite serious. There's a mutilated body here and it's not pretty. And from what we can tell, there's two more on our murderer's list."

Jetson held the phone away from his ears and muttered some swear words. Pulling the phone back, he said, "Alright. I'll be there in 30 minutes. Anything else?" His tone was a bit testy.

"Just my thanks man. See you in 30 minutes." And he hung up.

Pulling his coat on, he began wondering why he wanted to be a detective in the first place. Oh right, it was either that or join the military. Grabbing his keys, he got out of the house and slammed the door. All while wondering if he took the wrong road down the path of life.

* * *

After a half an hour drive, Jetson pulled his car to a stop near Serk's local café. Seeing a large crowd near the local inn, he instantly knew that was the crime scene. He couldn't help but roll his eyes.

_Typical. One dead body in a small town and the whole bloody place knows._

Because of the large crowd, he had to push his way through, sometimes shoving people aside- which earned him several curses from the more blunt people. Ducking under the yellow tape which marked the crime scene, he saw his partner Lucian and went to him.

"What have we got?" he asked Lucian, cutting across pleasantries.

"A female dead body. By the local's identification and her own ID, she's Tracy McAdam, forty, a waitress at the local café," he replied as he brought him to the dead body.

Jetson had seen many corpses in his life, but none was quite as ghastly as the one in front of him. Her limbs were twisted and bent at very peculiar angles, informing him that they were broken. They were each pinned to the ground by knives. There were many wounds on her back. Some of them were curved; forming unusual symbols which chilled him to the core. He squatted and forced himself to examine at her.

"Cause and time of death?" he asked Lucian.

"From what the forensics suspect, she died either of blood loss or poisoning. They are going to send it for autopsy as soon as we're done. They're still working on the time though."

Jetson nodded. "That would explain why the blood isn't congealing. There's something wrong, however."

"What?"

"There are too many wounds on her body. You can't tell me that after stabbing her so many times, our murderer missed all her vital spots."

Lucian shrugged. "She got lucky- or rather unlucky- I guess."

"Or maybe he-assuming it's a man- just wants her to suffer. Were there any peculiar marks on her?"

Lucian nodded. "Help me turn her over."

They removed the knives pinning her down and a chill went down Jetson's spine. Carved on Tracy's forehead was a very clear message: One down. Two to go. Jetson examined it.

"That's it," he suddenly said. "We're definitely dealing with a trained assassin here."

"How did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"I could be wrong, but I don't think I am. I am very sure the depth of the wounds is more or less equal. Add the fact that he wrote the message in continuous writing with such precision, we're definitely dealing with a trained assassin." He concluded. "Anything else?"

"She was holding a key to a room in the inn. The innkeeper already confirmed it belonged to him, though how she got it is still unknown."

"And the room occupant?"

"Right there." He pointed at a dark-haired girl standing at the sidelines. "We already questioned her. Again, blank. She didn't hear or see anything. What do you think is the motive of the killer?"

"I'm not quite sure yet. He does have a purpose though, one that's not done yet."

"Maybe he was interrupted in the middle of his work? A _mis-kill_ maybe?

Jetson shook his head. "No. Even if he was interrupted, he could have finished the job. Plus she was hacked and mutilated so badly, that act was deliberate. Our assassin was definitely after Miss McAdam." He rose. "Let's not continue with this line of thought. More importantly, we have to find out who the other two our assassin is after."

"We already have headway on that. We checked her house, turned out Miss Tracy McAdam was once a part of the group 'Delta Force'. There were two others with her, Ostwell Jones and Jack Othello. They are residing in Tholand and Georgia respectively. The funny thing is," Lucian told him, "the group was disbanded under mysterious circumstances. Nobody knew why."

"Interesting. Why don't we go have a chat with Mr. Jones? Tholand is about an hour's drive from here."

"Very well."

* * *

Lyn has seen many things in life, aye, even death. When she was but six, she had found a dead man in the depth of the forest near the house. The man had a knife jutting from his throat and blood was pouring freely from the wound. His clothes were soaked in blood. At first she didn't think he was dead but merely performing a trick- the same trick she had seen at a circus where the performer pushed a knife into his mouth, down his throat and pulled it out again. So she just sat there and waited for the man to pull the knife out. Hours passed, and soon her mother came looking for her. When she came upon them, she was shocked and her face had paled. She had quickly pulled Lyn away and called the police. After they had done with the questioning, Lyn's mother had brought her into her room where she broke down and sobbed uncontrollably. Little Lyn didn't understand why. All that was going in her head was one question: Why did the police take away the red man? After hours of crying her mother calmed down and told her the truth-the whole truth- and Lyn made a shocking discovery that night: The man was her father.

Truth to be told, Lyn didn't know anything about her father, not even his name. He never came home, wrote any letters or anything at all. But like all children she had looked up upon him, believing him to be a figure worthy of respect. After all he was her father, and mother had always spoken well of him. And she too wept.

Now, as she looked upon the dead body of Tracy McAdam, she couldn't help but think of her father. How similar they were. Both were murdered. Both were somehow connected to her. And, she thought bitterly, she didn't know them both well enough. She felt the tears well up in her eyes and brushed them away angrily. No more. She would be damned if she allowed the assassin to walk away like that. Determined, angry and caught in a rage of righteous fury, she swore she would make the assassin pay.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to stare into Ryan's eyes. There was a jumble of emotions in those eyes. Pity was there, but more importantly there was understanding. But what was most prominent was anger and disgust. Immediately she knew Ryan was almost as angry as she was, his face rigid, his fists tightly clenched. "Why don't we go for a drink?" she suggested. She knew how well he could control his anger-which was not very- and didn't want it to develop to the stage where he would lash out at anyone, herself included. He nodded.

She was about to head to the café when she caught herself. Bringing Ryan to where they had met Tracy the day before was certainly NOT going to improve his temper. Feeling rather stupid and foolish, Lyn could only pray to God for a way out of the soon-to-be-mess.

Ask and thou shall receive.

"Ryan? Ryan Randal?" A voice suddenly called from behind.

Ryan turned and immediately grinned. "George, you big gorilla, how did you get here?"

George scowled. Clad in a dark leather jacket which reached to his wrist and a red mismatching pant which reached to his knees, he stood at an impressive 6'7". His jacket opened in the middle to reveal a very colorful singlet and he wore white leather gloves. Slung over his shoulder was a backpack that had obviously seen better days. If it wasn't because of his imposing figure, Lyn would have laughed at the comical sight. She could easily see where he got the nickname 'gorilla'. He was by far the hairiest man she had ever seen, yet he was oddly clean-shaven. "Big gorilla? I haven't seen you in 4 years and the first thing you call me is big gorilla?" he said. Then an evil grin formed on his lips. "Why don't you introduce me to your girlfriend here? She's prettier than you are and I would certainly prefer to know her than you."

That particular comment earned a blush from both of them. "For the record," George replied somewhat uncomfortably, "she's not my girlfriend and her name is Lyn. Lyn, this is a friend of mine since childhood, George. Don't let his choice of clothing fool you, he's quite smart."

"She's not?" George feigned surprise. "Oh yeah, I forgot you haven't reached puberty yet."

Ryan picked a stone and hurled it at him. "He always does that," he complained to Lyn. "Just because I'm younger than him by 6 years, he always picks on me."

"Are you making arrangements in advance then?" George asked slyly. That earned him another stone from Ryan. Then his humorous expression dropped. "Have you heard what happened?" he said seriously.

Lyn's face immediately darkened, while angry thoughts started to run through Ryan's head again. Recognizing the expression on their faces, George smiled. "So what do you say we do some snooping about?"

Ryan gave him a quick look and a similar smile began to form on his lips. "Just like old times eh?" Noticing Lyn's confused look, he told her, "When we were younger, George and I used to play detective. We used to use whatever means necessary to crack the case," He laughed suddenly. "My brother was absolutely furious with us afterwards."

"And the beating he gave us usually lasted for weeks," George added. "Remember the time when he caught us sneaking out past our bedtime?"

Ryan winced. "I've been trying to forget that."

"Anyway, the point we're trying to make is we're going to go after this murderer. Care to join us?" George asked Lyn. She immediately agreed. "Good," He folded his right-hand sleeve, revealing a robotic arm. "An argument with a bear," he said, noticing Lyn's inquiring look, "and one I didn't win." Flipping up a hidden panel, he began pressing several buttons. Then he held his arm closer to the both of them.

"_Cause and time of death?" _Jetson's voice came through a hidden speaker. Lyn listened closely as the conversation between the two detectives was unveiled to her. "So we're going to Tholand?" she finally said.

George shook his head. "The authorities might catch us snooping about and then we'll have to answer a lot of embarrassing questions. No, we're going to Georgia." He suddenly grinned. "Besides, if what Ryan's brother gave us was an indication of what we'll receive I wouldn't want to cross their path."

They laughed.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

john: Here's the duel you wanted. Hope you like it.

* * *

The train to Georgia was a long trip and truth to be told, Lyn wasn't enjoying it. The seats were uncomfortable, the show offered was worst and the air ventilation was poor at best. She was finding difficulty breathing and the numerous smokers in the coach wasn't making in better either. But then, that's what you get when you buy the cheapest tickets available.

Ryan glanced at Lyn's pale face and abruptly stood up. "That's it," he suddenly said. "Let's go to the A-class coaches. This place reeks."

Lyn gave him a grateful look and followed him, tailed closely by George. When they reached the A-class coaches Lyn breathed a little easier. "Much better. I thought I was going to suffocate in there," She wrinkled her nose. "It's going to take me weeks to get this smell off my clothes though."

She examined her surroundings and noted that there were fewer passengers in the coach. Marveled at how much better the facilities were in this coach she asked George why he didn't purchase a ticket for the A-class coaches instead. "It's so much better compared to our coach," she said.

George's expression grew pained, even as his Soul Monster, Mac the Spell Canceller made a loud 'beeping' noise. Mac was a very strange Soul Monster. He didn't need to 'recuperate' like the other Soul Monsters and he was literally connected to George via his cyborg arm, though he could unattach himself if required. "Lyn, have you seen the pricelist for the tickets?" he asked in a pained voice.

"No. Why? It's not like several more dollars could hurt us that much." answered Lyn.

He drew a sigh. "The price difference between one class and another isn't just a few dollars Lyn," he told her patiently. "The C-class coaches we were on cost 3 dollars only. The B-class' are around forty to fifty while the A-class' are about two hundred," Ryan and Lyn looked at him skeptically. "It's true. And if that shocks you wait till you see the price for the S-class coach. They range from five thousand to ten thousand. So, if it's all right with you two, I'd rather stick to the C-class coaches. My wallet is a little slender, and I'd rather not worsen it by spending more just for a one hour trip to Georgia."

"You said there is an S-class coach on this train?" Ryan suddenly asked. His eyes had brightened noticeably when George mentioned them. "Why don't we go and hang around there until we reach Georgia?"

"Because we're supposed to stay in our own coaches. We're not even supposed to be here," George replied.

"Bah, it's not like there's anyone around to catch us." Just as he said that a heavily-muscled conductor held a passenger by the ruff of his coat and reprimanded him sharply for being in the wrong coach. Then, walking pass their group, he casually dumped the man at the next coach. Everyone sweat-dropped.

"You were saying?" said George.

"Whatever," Ryan replied with a nervous grin. "Can we just go and check the S-class coach out?"

"You do realize we're going to get into trouble right?"

"The conductor's coming back," Lyn whispered sharply. They bolted.

The S-class coach was not for from the A-class coaches and there were only two passengers inside. Lyn could immediately see why the coach was so expensive. These guys have king-size beds as seats! There was also a very delicate smell in there air. It had several different smells that Lyn couldn't pinpoint and they changed every few minutes. Lyn found the constant change of smells relaxing yet exciting. Added to that, they even have a panel where they only had to press several buttons and presto, lunch is served-all within the maximum delay of five seconds. They even had their own personal television.

"Wow, would you look at this?" Ryan exclaimed as he threw himself on the bed. His hand sought the remote control and he immediately assaulted the television. "My God, these guys have over 500 channels."

"Quiet, are you trying to announce the fact that we're not supposed to be here," George scolded him. Ryan immediately clamped his mouth shut while Lyn silently laughed.

_Trust Ryan to fall victim into the mesmerizing world of television_, she thought. She looked at the two other passengers.

One sat upright on his bed. Fully clothed in red loose clothing, he had a veil drawn across his face and a bronze circlet crowning his forehead. At the centre of the circlet was a red orb. He appeared to be staring at them. As Lyn stared into his eyes she shuddered. There was an open hostility in those eyes. She tore her eyes away and moved towards the other passenger.

This one was slightly older than herself, she judged. He was fully clad in black, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and trousers. He appeared to be sleeping and was pillowed by his black trench coat, with his arms swung beneath it. At first Lyn thought him to be a woman because of his hair. It was almost like hers: raven-colored and flowing freely, except his did not frame his face like hers did. She couldn't hold back the giggle forming at her mouth.

The man's eyes snapped open, and Lyn found herself staring into the darkest irises she had ever seen. "Something amusing you?" His voice was not particularly warm, but neither was it cold like someone who was offended.

"No. Sorry," she apologized. "Did I disturb your sleep?"

"I wasn't sleeping," the reply came.

"Oh, I'm Lyn," She held her hand forward. "Lyn Feiniel."

He stared at the outstretched hand impassively but did not shake it. "Kain."

Lyn waited for a last name but received none. Instead, she heard George yell, "Watch out!" Just then, she felt a sharp tug and collapsed into Kain just as something whizzed by her. She turned and saw a dart sticking on the wall of the coach. Quickly pushing herself up, she rose and saw George and Ryan confronting the other passenger.

"What's your problem, you jerk?" George demanded. "Are you trying to kill her?"

The man didn't answer. Instead he replied, "My instructions were to kill the girl and her friends. At first I planned to kill her and then you two. Now it seems I have to kill you first." The cold blooded way he said it shocked them.

He appraised the situation. "I could probably kill you altogether if I wanted. But the unexplained bodies later would be a problem, as would the witness standing there," He looked at Kain. "So I'll do it the _other _way." The orb at his circlet suddenly gleamed. A red Duel Disk suddenly materialized at his arm. He pointed at George. "Since you were the first to speak, you shall also be the first to die. I challenge you to a Duel Monster game."

George's Duel Disk flickered into life. "A duel? Fine by me," He drew six cards, indicating he would start first. "My name is George Maxwell by the way, and this is my Soul Monster, Mac."

His opponent drew five cards. As he did so a red-haired girl appeared behind him. She wore tattered blue clothes. Upon being summoned she sat down and curled up. "Your names are immaterial to me."

George frowned. "Aren't you even going to introduce yourself and your Soul Monster?"

"Sorchak and Sherill, an Unhappy Maiden," he spat out. "Now take your turn." The Unhappy Maiden started to sob.

"Fine, fine, no need to get angry. One set monster and that's it."

Sorchak drew. "Dart Shooter (1400/1700) in attack mode," A white-haired female warrior holding a dart-blower appeared. "When she's summoned she automatically shifts into defense mode. Attack!" Crouching low, she held the dart-blower to her mouth and blew. The dart flew and George's card flipped over, revealing a woman with a third eye at the forehead. The dart struck her and she shattered.

"Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) lets me take a monster card with a defense of 1500 or less from my deck," He did so. "And my deck is reshuffled."

"I know what it does. Two cards face-down and end turn."

Sorchak: 8000

George: 8000

"Of course. The explanation was for the benefit of the audience," George said with aplomb.

"We know what it does too George," Ryan suddenly yelled.

George slapped his face. "Whose side are you on Ryan?" he asked. He shook his head and drew. "Never mind, don't answer that. X-Head Cannon (1800/1500) in attack mode," The purple machine materialized in the air in front of George. "And I play Frontline Base. This continuous magic card allows me to special summon a Union Monster of level 4 or lower once per turn during my Main Phase," He slapped a card onto his Duel Disk. "So come out Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600)." The red machine shimmered into existence. "X-Head Cannon, fire! Y-Dragon Head, follow through with a direct attack!"

X-Head Cannon aimed and fired a shot at Dart Shooter, obliterating her instantly. Y-Dragon Head made to follow through but the Unhappy Maiden suddenly wailed and he stopped.

Sorchak's lips curled into a sneer. "My Soul Monster's ability," he explained before George could ask. "When you destroy my monster in battle your battle phase immediately ends. I take it you end turn?" George nodded. "Good, my turn. Draw," He drew, and laughed. "Only a few turns and your end is already near," he pointed at Ryan. "Prepare your deck, after I finish him it'll be your turn."

"Conceited much? In case you haven't noticed our Life Points are the same," George said.

"Not for long. Go Sniper Rookie (1000/1000) in attack mode," A man wearing dark right-fitting suit carrying a toy rifle appeared. George and Ryan looked at it and laughed.

"How's that supposed that to hurt me?" George asked after he finished laughing. "In case you haven't noticed my monster's stats are higher than yours."

"Sniper Rookie also shifts into defense mode when summoned. As to how it'll hurt you," he smiled, "it's like this. Silent Shot!" The monster kneeled and fired. George gasped as the bullet slammed into his shoulder. "Hurts, doesn't it? Sniper Rookie can attack you directly. Two cards face-down. End turn."

Sorchak: 8000

George: 7000

George drew his card and placed it onto his Duel Disk. "Z-Metal Tank (1500/1300) in attack mode. And I'll fuse them together to form XYZ-Dragon Cannon (2800/2600)."

"No, you don't. Reveal Fusion Chaos. This trap card will negate your fusion and randomly destroy one of your monsters," He smirked as X-Head Cannon blew apart.

George growled. "Frontline Base allows me to summon another X-Head Cannon and I'll fuse them again." The red machine hovered above the yellow tank with the purple machine above it and each began to descend, connecting with a simple click.

"Two mistakes at once," Both of his face-down cards flipped over. They each had a violet and green background respectively. "Fair Price lets me summon a monster whenever you special summon one with the condition that its level is equal or lower than yours. Mercenary Payment-" The card suddenly exploded.

"-gets blown into pieces. Mac can negate and destroy 1 magic card per turn." George returned his smirk.

"No matter, go Frontline Soldier (1500/1300) in attack mode. Whenever this card is face-up on the field you must attack him." Sorchak replied coolly.

"I'm not stupid enough to fall for your trap. I discard Damned Offering to destroy your face-down card," Said card blew apart. "When Damned Offering is discarded from my hand I draw three cards. If any of them are monster cards they are discarded and I receive damage equal to their attack points," He drew three cards and winced as he discarded two of them. "XYZ-Dragon Cannon attack Frontline Soldier." The soldier fell down with a cry of pain as the machine gunned him down.

Sorchak drew. "You should've used your monster's effect to destroy my sniper. But since you didn't you'll face the consequences," he snapped his fingers and Sniper Rookie left the field. Another monster appeared in his place. The monster looked like Sniper Rookie but his features were hard and he carried a real gun instead. "Because Sniper Rookie did battle damage to you, I can special summon Sniper Soldier (1500/2000) in his place. I take it you know what he does," he said as the soldier shifted into defense position and took aim. "Silent Shot again." He fired. George fell to his knees as the bullet tore into his abdomen.

"George!" Ryan started towards him but George waved him away. He glared at Sorchak.

"So, that's another one of those 'level' monsters except with a slight twist?" he said. Sorchak nodded and slid his card into his Duel Disk.

Sorchak: 6700

George: 3000

"My turn then, draw." He was about to discard a card when Sorchak held his hand up.

"Before you make a fool out of yourself again, I'll activate my trap." A huge forest suddenly sprouted out of nowhere and Sniper Soldier disappeared from view. "Tactical Position gives my monster 1000 defense points (1500/3000) and both of them cannot be destroyed by a monster's effect. So don't even think about it." George suddenly chuckled. Sorchak frowned. "What's so funny?" he demanded.

"You are," George told him. "Thank you for making yourself a fool in my place. I appreciate it," he said with a mocking bow. "I tribute my machine to summon Jinzo (2400/1500)." The green humanoid robot replaced the machine on the field.

"Have you forgotten what I said? I told you my card can't be destroyed by a monster's effect? Jinzo can't destroy it."

"Are you just guessing Jinzo's effect or are you misunderstanding his effect like most people who rely on secondhand information?" He chuckled again. "Never rely on what on secondhand information. For the most part, they are either altered or completely off the mark. Shall I read you Jinzo's effect?" Without waiting for an answer he quoted, "As long as this card remains face-up on the field, all Trap Cards cannot be activated. The effects of all face-up Trap Cards are also _negated_. That means your trap card aren't destroyed, merely negated and rendered useless. (1500/2000)" The forest disappeared instantly and Sniper Soldier stepped into view. George smirked as he saw Sorchak's face paling. "And I'll play Limiter Removal. This magic card doubles Jinzo's attack (4800/1500). The downside is he's destroyed at the end of this turn," He slid a card into his Duel Disk. "Or at least he would if I didn't summon Heavy Mech Support Platform (500/500) and equip him to Jinzo. This card increases his stats by 500 and is destroyed in his place instead. (5300/2000)" A platform appeared and Jinzo boarded it.

Sorchak regained his composure and sneered again. "So what? You still can't hurt me."

"One thing at a time. Jinzo, Psycho Beam." Jinzo's eyes flashed red and laser shot forth from his eyes. Sniper Soldier died without a sound. "End turn." The platform exploded (4800/1500).

Sorchak drew and nodded. "One card face-down and end turn." He crooked his finger at George. "Come and attack me if you dare."

Sorchak: 6700

George: 3000

George drew. "Nice try. But we both know that with Jinzo on the field and Mac's ability, your card is useless. Attack." Jinzo surged forward and smashed his fist into Sorchak's jaw. "One card face-down. End turn."

Sorchak rubbed his jaw and drew his card. "I play God's Smite. It destroys one monster on the field and deal damage equal to its attack points to its owner."

"There's no way I'm going to let you get away with an effect that powerful. Mac, negate it."

The card blew in Sorchak's face. "I knew you would do that." He motioned towards his face-down card. "Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards." Drawing twice, he smiled as he checked them. "Then I'll play Spell of Summoning. I draw three cards and special summon any monsters among them. The rest is discarded and I receive 500 damage for each." He drew and frowned as he discarded all of them. "One set monster. Take your turn."

Sorchak: 400

George: 3000

"Bad luck," said George as he drew. "I'll equip Big Bang Shot to Jinzo. This increases his attack by 400 and allows him to deal damage through defense (5200/1500)." He saw the hopeless look on Sorchak's face. "Finish him, Jinzo." The robot drew his fist and slammed it through the set card right into Sorchak's face.

Sorchak: 0

George: 3000

Sorchak sank to his knees and started talking incoherently. "Master-no-I didn't-" The red orb on his circlet gleamed darkly and shattered. Lyn, Ryan and George cringed as Sorchak fell back and started screaming, his arms swinging wildly. Then, as sudden as it began, the screaming stopped.

"What's going on here?" A loud conductor suddenly appeared. He stared suspiciously at Lyn's group.

Kain pushed George aside and kneeled beside Sorchak. He checked his pulse. "They were dueling and he started screaming and fainted," He looked at the conductor. "Carry him to the medic coach and have him examined." Noticing his suspicious look he added, "I'm a doctor."

Still the conductor looked suspicious, his eyes shifting from him to Lyn. He was about to ask another question when Kain barked, "Move man, his life may be at stake here!" Hauling Sorchak over his shoulder, he made his way to the medic coach.

Lyn sighed in relief. She looked at Kain. "Thanks for your help. Did he really just faint?"

"No." Kain stared her in the eye. "He's dead."


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

Author's note: I can't believe the amount of mistakes I made in the last chapter It's already corrected and replaced. Take note that some cards are custom made. Sorry for not updating lately. I have a very important test this Saturday and I needed to study. I promise I'll update soon.

john: Yeah, George uses a machine deck. But his opponent isn't really stupid, just overconfident.

Rex the emerald dragon: Thanks. And you might have a point but it isn't really weird. In almost every show I've seen the bad guys always seem to take delight in punishing their subordinates : P

* * *

The remainder of the journey was continued in silence. Nobody said anything. Nobody knew what to say. Lyn was still over the fact she just witnessed a murder. George was shocked that he had caused the death of a man and Ryan-well-was just being Ryan.

"So why are you guys going to Georgia anyway?" Kain asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

"It's a long story," Ryan answered, relieved that someone had decided to start conversations again. Briefly he told Kain about the murder at Serk, summarizing what he could. Then he had George repeat the conversation between the two detectives. He didn't know what he expected from Kain. Sympathy for the family of Tracy McAdam perhaps. Or maybe even the feeling of rage he had experienced. Instead Kain drew his head back and laughed.

Lyn stared at him. Shock came first, but then an unexplained outrage rose and took over. "What's so funny?" she demanded.

"All of you are," replied Kain, still laughing. "From what I understand from your friend's story you are going to try to find and stop a trained killer, one who had a woman murdered without being detected and still expect to come back alive? Truly amusing. A girl who has no experience in combat, a guy who is pretty much the same and a cyborg with a recording arm. I can see him shivering in fright alright," said Kain sarcastically.

"Hey, this arm can do more than just record you know," protested George. To emphasize his point he bent and slid his arm under the bed and tried to lift it.

"If you're trying to lift the bed, don't. It's bolted to the floor," Kain told him. George pulled his arm clear. "Besides, it doesn't really matter how strong you are. Being an assassin isn't about strength, it's about speed, dexterity and occasionally the element of surprise-though trained assassins don't rely on it. Try and block me." Before George could reply he held his right hand high and swept it down to strike him. George brought his arms over his head to block it but Kain's left hand snapped forward, the index finger lightly resting on his throat. "If that was a knife you'd be pumping blood by now," Kain told him.

"How do you know so much about assassination anyway?" Lyn asked. Her eyes had narrowed suspiciously at Kain's last statement. "Doctors and assassins aren't exactly on the same side of the fence."

"True, but the skills required to be good at either are ironically similar. I knew a lonely man once. He was dying and I tried to nurse him back to health-futile as it was. I was the first and last to do so. And-in exchange for my help I suppose- he told me the story of his life. Apparently he loved to sew shut bloody wounds as a child. His parents took this as a sign that he was to be a doctor to help people and encouraged him. After graduating he became a surgeon at an international hospital-and a good one at that. All his surgeries were successful. But after years of working he discovered that it wasn't helping people he enjoyed." He calmly gazed at each of them noting that they were paying rapt attention to his story. "He enjoyed the feel of warm blood staining his hands." They gasped. "And to quote him, 'There is no wine as heavenly as that of blood upon my lips and no touch as warm as the congealing blood in my hands.'" Lyn gagged. "He quitted and became an assassin for hire. He was as good an assassin as he was a surgeon."

Lyn shuddered.

"However, that is beside the point. How do you people expect to confront this assassin and live?"

"Using the I.R.D. program," answered George.

Ryan and Lyn gave him a puzzled look. "I.R.D. program?" they echoed.

"Illusion Reality Damage program," Kain informed her. "A program which enables you to inflict pain to your opponent as you decrease his Life Points. There's no wound, but the pain is very real." He looked at George. "Interesting idea. But have any of you used the program before?"

George shrugged. "No, but why does it matter? It's not like we have to do anything but tell the system in the Duel Disks to initiate it."

"It matters because the I.R.D. program applies to both players. How confident are you that you'll be able to stay conscious while taking damage? It isn't exactly a pat in the face." He stood and opened a compartment below his bed. Bringing out a Duel Disk, he fastened it to his wrist and activated it. "Don't bother answering me; I know all of you have no experience with it. So why don't you show me how you plan to confront this assassin?" he taunted.

_Someone needs to be taught a lesson_, thought Lyn. She rose and activated her Duel Disk, summoning Silphatos at the same time. "Bring out your Soul Monster and let's get the show going."

"Don't have one and don't need one. You can go first. The outcome will still be the same."

Kain: 8000

Lyn: 8000

Lyn bit back an angry retort and drew her cards. "One set monster card and end turn." A brown-backed card shimmered into view.

Drawing his cards, Kain smiled and held up his hand with three fingers folded in. "Two turns."

"What?"

"I'll finish this duel in two turns." He slapped a card onto his Duel Disk. "Shadowslayer (1400/200) in attack mode." A dark fiend carrying twin knives appeared on the field. "This monster can attack you directly if only you have your monsters in Defense Position. Go!" The fiend melted into his shadow. Moving past the set monster, it stopped before Lyn and its arm suddenly emerged from the shadow, plunging its knife into her stomach. Lyn cried out as pain shot in her stomach. The monster retreated back to Kain's side of the field.

"Are you alright?" Silphatos asked worriedly. Lyn nodded weakly. The pain was so real she had to check and double check to make sure she attained no visibly wounds.

"What's the commotion all about?" A guard suddenly came into the coach. Recognizing the use of I.R.D. program he gave them a disgusted look before returning to patrolling the other coaches.

"Three cards face-down. End turn." Three cards appeared on the field.

Kain: 8000

Lyn: 6600

"My turn, draw." She gave the card a brief glance and activated it. "Let's see if you can back up those words. Card Destruction forces us to discard our hands and draw the equal amount of cards we discarded." They both did so. "And I'll flip summon Vampire Lady (1550/1550) in attack mode. Attack." The vampire appeared on the field appeared on the field and grinned seductively at Kain. She made to move but stopped as if she was hit by something. Her look became dreamy and there was a vacuous smile on her lips. Purring softly she curled on the floor.

"Illusion of Shadows shifts your monster into Defense Mode for the rest of the game," said Kain holding a card up. Lyn grimaced and set a card face-down, signaling the end of her turn.

Kain drew. "So you play a D.D.D.?" Lyn gave him a blank look. "Short term for Deck Destruction Deck." She nodded. "Not a theme I favor, but whatever floats your boats I guess. I'll play the field magic card Shadow Temple." A sudden darkness appeared out of nowhere and enveloped them. Lyn was suddenly afraid. Everything around her was black; the grass under her feet, the sky she was under, even the temple which was standing in front of her. It was a plain temple, with no real artistic designs on it, merely a giant door which marked its entrance. She calmed immediately after seeing Ryan and George, whose clothes' color totally clashed with their surrounding. Kain's black clothing made him difficult to place and she would have totally missed Shadowslayer if it wasn't for his gleaming knives.

"Shadow Temple-a place where the borders of reality and illusion doesn't exist." He noticed their confused look. "Try and touch it."

Lyn placed her left hand in front of one of the extension walls and pushed. Her hand passed through it like knife through butter. She withdrew her hand and placed her right hand over the same spot, trying to repeat the action. It encountered a solid mass. Frowning, she braced herself and kicked at the wall. Her leg passed through. Repeating the maneuver several times, she finally found herself clutching her foot and yelping in pain.

Kain chuckled. "Shadow Temple has numerous abilities. One of which I will reveal now." One card flipped up. "Originally, the quick play magic card Shadow Clone was supposed to create only one clone. However, with Shadow Temple in play, I can create as many clones as I have free monster space. So you can say Shadow Temple boasts the effects of most of my cards with the word 'Shadow' in it." Four clones rose, each identical to the original. "They attain his stats, but not his effect, not that it matters." Shadowslayer cloneX4 (1400/200). His other card revealed itself. "Exploding Shadow Clone takes the attack points of my clones and deals direct damage to you."

"Reveal trap card. Barrel Behind the Door reflects the damage back to you instead." The card flipped up but the clones merely slashed it into two and fanned around Lyn. They exploded. The pain was so intense this time Lyn would have fallen if Silphatos hadn't caught her.

"I did say Shadow Temple boasts the effects of most of my cards with the word 'Shadow' in it. Exploding Shadow Clone is no exception. You cannot counter it when Shadow Temple is in play," Kain said with an impassive expression. "Let's see if you can stand it when your Life Points drop to zero." At the unspoken command his monster dashed forward and slashed Lyn's stomach. She gave a choked cry before fainting.

Kain: 8000

Lyn: 0

Their Duel Disks shut down. "Well," said Kain, "at least you can count on her to fight until the end."

"How can you be so heartless?" Ryan exclaimed. "Aren't you at least going to check on her to make sure she's fine?"

"That's not necessary. The I.I. is very careful to make sure their products don't kill anyone. But if you insist." He knelt by her and examined her closely. "She's fine. She'll wake up in a moment or so." True to his words Lyn's eyes opened and she struggled to her feet, only to stumble down again. Kain caught her and gently guided her to his bed. "Rest for a while and you'll be all right again." She nodded weakly. "And I'm not as heartless as I am a realist. I have seen hundreds of people die in my arms Ryan. Some of them I could have saved, the others were just victims under the mocking jaws of fate. I stopped badgering myself over things I couldn't control years ago."

There was a sudden rumble, causing all of them to lose their balance. Ryan fell and soon felt George's weight on top of him. Lyn managed to grab onto a rail, while Kain swayed unsteadily for a moment but he too fell. The rumbling continued for several moments before the train screeched to stop.

The intercom beeped and the conductor's voice came through. "Ladies and gentlemen, there appears to have been an earthquake 3 miles from here, along the way of our destination. For your safety, the train will not continue its journey to Georgia." Even from here Lyn could hear the groans of a number of passengers. "Because of our inability to provide the services promised, your money will be refunded-" There were several cheers at that. "-and, if you still desire to travel to Georgia, we will provide you with another means of transportation to there. Thank you."

There was silence for several moments before Ryan suddenly groaned. "George, do you mind getting off me? You weigh a ton."

George got up sheepishly and helped Ryan up. He looked around. "Is everyone okay?" he asked.

Kain got up and brushed himself. "We're intact, if that's what you mean," he said. Helping Lyn to her feet, he asked, "So, are all of you still going to Georgia?"

"Hell yeah," shouted Ryan. "We're not going to let a minor setback like this stop us." Lyn nodded, while George gave him a thumbs-up. "No jaws of fate is going to mock me," he declared impudently.

"Exactly what I was talking about," said Kain as he pulled on his trench coat. "Let's see what _means _of transportation they provided us with." His voice was nowhere far from usual but inside he was frowning. _A group of seismologists checked and assured the trail was nowhere near the Fault Line. So what is this all about? Curious, definitely curious._

They filed out.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh. I do however own the cards and character I created.

Author's note: Sorry this chapter longer than I thought. I have another story buzzing around my head and I might decide to write it.

john: For the sake of argument, why don't we agree that he was both stupid and overconfident? I'll give some thoughts to the darkness deck. But do you want it for the good guys or the bad guys?

* * *

Almost all of the passengers have given up on continuing their journey to Georgia when they saw their other _means _of transportation, which turned out to be a member of the Equidae, one commonly found in farms. Ryan stared at them before bursting out loudly. "Horses!" he said incredulously. "We're going to ride horses to Georgie?" The herd master glared at him.

"I've never ridden a horse before," Lyn said. She was eyeing the herd nervously. "How does one go by it?"

"It's not hard," Kain told her as the herd master approached. "It's just like meeting a stranger. And as with every stranger, you try to befriend them first."

"You've ridden before then," the herd master approved, though he was still glaring at Ryan. Signaling to his men, he brought a bag and held it open for Kain.

Kain reached into the bag and grabbed a handful of grains. Then keeping his movements slow and unthreatening he angled towards one of the horses the men brought, holding out his hand. The horse eyed him warily. "Eat," Kain said, offering the grain. The horse dipped its head and fed on the grain. As the horse fed Kain stroked its sleek neck. Taking the reins he moved alongside the horse, continuing to stroke it. Then he raised his foot into the stirrup. The animal reared, though it did not bolt. Kain calmly and slowly swung his leg over the saddle, seeking out the second stirrup. Planting both feet firmly in the stirrups he stroked the beast's neck. "It's all right great one. It's all right," he whispered. Swinging it from the herd, he nudged it to a slow walk. As he became more acquainted with the horse, he encouraged the beast. A slow walk became a trot and then a canter. Finally the beast was seen galloping along the train rail forth and back. Kain reined in the horse.

"Very good," the herd master commended. He shoved the bag in front of Ryan. "Your turn."

Kain watched as Ryan tried to imitate his actions, only to be thrown off his horse on the first attempt. There was some hope at the second attempt. But after the fifth time he was thrown off it was painfully obviously that he was woefully inept.

"This isn't funny," he flared as both Lyn and George laughed as he was unhorsed again. Then his looks became sly. "Why don't you both give it try?" he suggested. "Then I get to laugh at you instead."

Unfortunately he was forced to eat his own words when George mounted his horse confidently. It was clearly evident that he had ridden before. Lyn was nervous around her horse, but after she gone past that she mounted it with no particular difficulty. After several advices from Kain and George she was already riding like a pro. It was apparent that she was a natural rider. Ryan watched them both sourly.

"Hurry up Ryan," George told him gleefully. "We're never getting to Georgia if you keep wasting time like this."

Ryan chose not to answer that.

* * *

In a large room somewhere else a middle-aged woman watched the flickering image of the group, a small frown creasing her forehead. The room was circular with one entrance and was strangely unadorned. The woman herself was peculiar: fully tanned and wore no finery save her one-eyed necklace. Her dark hair hung freely, their colors matching the long-sleeved robe she wore. Added with her slanted emerald eyes, she looked like a panther ready to strike.

There was a polite knock on the door. She waved her hand and the images on the walls disappeared. "Come in," she commanded.

The door opened and a man in his mid-twenties poked his head into the room. He hesitated slightly, but entered the room and closed the door behind him. "I am sorry if I disturbed you, Priestess," he said respectfully.

"Not at all, Findecano," she told him. "In fact your timing could not have been more immaculate. And I've told you to call me by my name when we're alone."

Findecano shook his head several times. "Sorry Isis. But it tends to be habit-forming when you do it 12 hours a day." He looked at her critically. "You haven't been eating well."

"Don't you start mothering me Finde. I've got enough problems worrying about that _man _already. Don't add more to the list."

He gave an irritated sigh. "Why are you _still _worrying about him, Isis? I mean c'mon. He's not even done anything to the group yet. The only thing wrong about him is that you cannot link him to the prophecy."

"_That's _exactly the problem," she burst out suddenly. "I can't link him at all to the prophecy; which means he's on a totally different ground from us."

_Or that you're not quite as capable as you think you are._ But he wisely kept his thoughts to himself.

"But you're right. Worrying too much about him won't solve anything. So how's your training going along?"

Findecano smirked at her. "Care to test me Isis?" He waved his left hand over his right arm and a Duel Disk suddenly appeared, fastened neatly to it and already activated.

Isis returned his smirk and mimicked his move. A Duel Disk appeared on her arm as well. She pursed her lips. "No Soul Monster," she said suddenly.

"Come again?"

"We're not going to use our Soul Monsters for this duel. I want to see how well you manage without him. You can use your gift however."

"Fine, I'm perfectly capable of beating you on my own." He drew his cards. "And to make this fair, I'm not going to use my gift."

Isis drew five cards. "That's what you said the last six times we dueled. Since you lost the last time-and all the other times before that- I'll let you start."

Isis: 8000

Findecano: 8000

"You're too kind," Findecano murmured as he drew. "I'll summon Skilled Dark Magician (1900/1700) in attack mode." The black-robed magician appeared.

"Not that again," Isis said exasperatedly.

He gave her a tight grin. "Sorry Isis but it is _that_ again. I play Pot of Greed." He drew two cards even as the tip of his monster's staff glowed bronze. "Then Reload which lets me put my entire hand back and draw equal to that amount." He reshuffled and drew a new hand. The orb on his monster's staff turned silver in color. "And finally I play the continuous magic card Hollow Summoning. This lets me special summon another monster whose level is lower than the monster I first special summoned. It's destroyed at the end of my turn however." The tip of Skilled Dark Magician's staff turned gold. "And you guessed it; I'll use Skilled Dark Magician's ability to special summon Dark Magician (2500/2100)." The magician waved his staff and Dark Magician, in his splendidly polished dark armor joined him on the field. "You do remember his ability don't you?"

"No, I really don't," Isis said, sarcasm dripping in her voice. "I don't remember that each time a magic card is played he'll gain a token. I also don't remember that once there's three tokens you can tribute the monster with the tokens to special summon Dark Magician. Furthermore, it has completely slipped my mind that you used this same ability in the past six duels."

Findecano frowned. "Sarcasm doesn't suit you Isis," he told her seriously. "Since Dark Magician was special summoned I'll activate Hollow Summoning's effect and special summon Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700)." A 'poof' was heard and suddenly the field was covered by a smoke screen. When it cleared, Dark Magician Girl was standing beside Dark Magician with a silly grin on her face. "Three card face-down. End turn." Dark Magician Girl whimpered as she faded away from the field.

Isis drew and winced as she looked at her cards. _I can't possibly get a worse hand than this_, she thought. Then she looked at Findecano's field. _Hmm, I might be able to use that to my advantage._ "One set monster and five cards face-down. End turn."

Isis: 8000

Findecano: 8000

_Five cards,_ Findecano thought as he drew? Then he looked at the Heavy Storm in his hand and a look of consternation passed his face. If he used it all Isis' face-down cards would be destroyed but so would his. The feeling of indecision gnawed at him and he gave Isis a look. "You did this to me didn't you?" he accused her.

"Did what?" she asked sweetly.

"Trap me like this."

"No dear heart, you did it to yourself. If you knew you had a Heavy Storm, don't put so many magic/trap cards on the field then."

Findecano almost smacked his head when he realized he had indirectly told Isis one of the cards in his hand. He stared at her and it was returned with an innocent look-mostly feigned. He looked at his hands again and then remembered his face-down cards. A sly look crossed his face. "I play Monster Reborn to bring back Dark Magician Girl." The magician appeared on the field again. "And because of the effects of Hollow Summoning I summon Ancient Magician (0/0)." A thin old man wearing patchy clothes stepped into the field. Although he looked poor and unfed, his hand held a dark jewel that gleamed mysteriously.

Isis' eyebrow shot up at the sight of the sight of the old man. "A level 5 monster with (0/0) stats? He must have a very interesting effect."

"Indeed. Because this magician is so ancient, he lost most of his magic and now has to draw power from the younger magicians. His stats increase by 200 for every star of every spellcaster on my field excluding himself (2600/2600)." The old man held the jewel aloft and wisps of aura started to emerge from every magician, trailing to the jewel.

"Formidable."

"And I'll play Nobleman of Crossout to remove your set monster from play." A silver-garbed knight appeared in front of the card and plunged his sword into it.

"That was my Spirit Reaper (300/200)."

Findecano looked at Isis' face, trying to predict her next move. However her face was a mask of calmness. _Better play safe._ "I'll switch Dark Magician to defense mode." The two monsters kneeled. "Dark Magician Girl, Dark Magic Attack!" Said monster gathered energy in her staff and fired it at Isis. Isis watched calmly as the ball of amassed energy hit her. "Ancient Magician, go!" The old man started chanting and a red beam shot forth from his jewel and slammed into Isis.

"You shouldn't be greedy Finde. Trap card activate." She pressed a button on her Duel Disk. "Enemy Sympathizer activates when I receive more than 3000 battle damage. Now one of your monsters will betray you." Dark Magician suddenly rose and floated across to Isis' field. "Dark Magician should do nicely."

Findecano gave her a sour look. "I'll play Heavy Storm, which will destroy all magic/trap cards, and I'll chain it with a trap card." Two of his set cards flipped up. "Magic Residue allows me to keep one of my magic cards when they are mass destroyed."

"And I'll chain it with Emergency Provisions. This quick play magic card lets me send magic/trap cards to the graveyard to increase my Life Points by 1000 each. So I'll send all three of my remaining cards to the graveyard, increasing my Life Points by 3000." The vortex appeared and swallowed the remaining cards.

Taking his selected card from his graveyard Findecano frowned as his strategy didn't work out exactly as he planned it would. "I'll play Swords of Concealing Light." Dark Magician disappeared and his card flipped over and shifted into defense mode. "As long as this card remains on the field, you can't change your monster's Battle Position."

He slid a card into his Duel Disk. "One card face-down and end turn." Ancient Magician faded away.

"My turn." She took a card from her graveyard slot and put it in her removal slot. "By removing Die of Greed and skipping my Draw Phase I get to roll two die." Two die appeared in front of her: one red and the other black. "If I roll a bigger number on the red die I'll draw that amount of cards. If I roll a smaller number however, I still draw the number of cards but I must play them on this turn or lose Life Points equal to that number times 1000." She rolled both dice. The red landed on a four; the black on a two. She drew four cards. "One set monster and two face-down cards. I'll end my turn." She smirked.

Isis: 6400

Findecano: 8000

Noting her change of expression, Findecano instantly knew what the set card was. _Damn, how do I get rid of that monster?_ He drew and examined his hand. _Maybe this would do the trick. _"I'll set one monster." He laid the card on the Duel Disk.

"I'll chain it with a trap card." Findecano groaned as Isis held up her card. "Mutual Curiosity will reveal your set card without activating its effect if it has one." The card flipped up and a squat, misshapen old man appeared, carrying a curved rod. "Old Vindictive Magician (450/600)? Nice try. My trap card also forces your monster to attack one of my selected set cards. I'll choose the one I just set." The aged magician sprang forward and brought his rod down on the card, which immediately flipped over, and revealed a pot with curious curving designs on it. "Metamorphosis Pot (500/300). I'm sure you remember its effect."

"It absorbs the monster which destroyed it when flipped and you can summon a monster whose level equals or is lower than the absorbed monster. I remember alright. And I bet you're going to use it to summon Thousand-Eyes Restrict."

"Indeed. Thousand-Eyes Restrict (0/0) in attack mode." The monster that appeared was so horrible it was indescribable.

Findecano suddenly smirked. "I've been waiting for you to do that, Isis. Reveal trap card." His trap card flew open. "Skill Drain requires me to pay 1000 Life Points but it's worth it. When it's face-up all face-up monsters' effects are negated. So Thousand-Eyes Restrict is nothing more than a pain in the eye now. And I think I'll remedy that problem too. Dark Magician Girl, do it." The monster raised her wand and fired a ball of energy which completely obliterated Thousand-Eyes Restrict. "It seems you need training more than I do Isis. End turn."

Isis hissed at his words but then laughed. "Very good Finde. It seems the training did achieve something after all. I was starting to think it was a waste of time."

She drew. "Unfortunately I don't think you counted on your trap card being useful for me as well. I summon Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast (2800/2000) in attack mode." A towering dragon-like machine roared as it entered the field. "Normally if I summon it without tribute I will have his stats cut in half, but your Skill Drain negates that effect. Fusilier, attack Dark Magician Girl with Dual-Laser." The girl-magician screamed as the laser beams hit her. "I think you're starting to lose, Finde. End turn."

Isis: 4400

Findecano: 6200

"Let's not get too cocky now, Isis," Findecano said. "I still have more Life Points than you do."

The Swords of Concealing Light faded away. "That magic card is destroyed after my second standby phase," he explained as he stored away the card. He drew and slid one card into his Duel Disk. "One face-down card. End turn."

"You could use your own advice, Finde." Isis drew and slapped the card onto her Duel Disk. "I'll summon another Fusilier in attack mode again." The machine rose on the field joining its twin. "And flip summon Dark Magician." Dark Magician floated above the field.

She pressed a button on her Duel Disk. "Sorry Finde, but my face-down Mystical Space Typhoon will destroy that card you just set."

"That was my Mirror Force," Findecano said as the typhoon came and swept away the card. His face fell.

"And all my monsters attack directly for game." The twin monsters fired identical lasers at Findecano while Dark Magician hurled a dark ball of amassed energy.

Isis: 4400

Findecano: 0

"Not bad, Finde," Isis commented as their Duel Disks shut off. "A few more days of training and I think you'll be ready."

"You think so?" Findecano's face lit up.

"Positive," Isis assured him. "Now go train some more and perhaps in a few days I'll give you a mission."

Findecano bowed low and immediately left.

Isis turned and waved her hand. The images flickered once again. _What does he have to do with all of this, _she wondered?


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh. Can I stop saying this now?

Author's note: From now on, I'll reply to reviews and possibly put my notes at the end of the chapter. Also I noticed a slight mistake in my last chapter and have corrected it.

* * *

Two days has passed since the incident on the train, and the group had traveled a number of leagues, bringing them closer to Georgia. They had some problems, which was to be expected. To start things off, Ryan never did manage to tame his horse; therefore the herd master had to saddle him with an experienced horse, one that had been ridden before. That should have been the end of that problem. Unfortunately the horse turned out to be extremely frisky, and just had overwhelming desire to bite someone-Ryan in this case. To make things worse, Ryan has never ridden before, and he was not a natural rider like Lyn either. Therefore he filled the air with annoying complaints and the extremely grating question of "Are we there yet?"

The next problem arose when they were several miles down the road. No one knew the way to Georgia. As things turned out however, Kain had brought a map with him. There was one problem with that. He never used it before. Thus the task of navigating fell into George's hands and he wasn't happy about it. As it turned out, his unhappiness was soon shared by the group, but for different reasons.

It was nighttime, and the moon hung like a giant sickle over the group. They had somehow managed find themselves deep in a forest. Lyn looked around nervously, half-afraid that a monster was suddenly about to leapt at her from the darkness of the woods. Somehow she knew that her nervousness had conveyed itself to her horse, for it was shivering slightly as well.

"I hate this," Ryan muttered, half to himself. "I absolutely hate this."

"What's there to hate about it?" Kain asked. "It's only dark, unless you have nyctophobia?"

"No, I'm not afraid of the dark. It's just so dark I can barely see my hand even if I held it in front of me."

George half-listened to the conversation as he held his torchlight and consulted his map. It was all so annoying-their petty conversations, the rustling of the leaves above him, the chirping of the insects.

There was a sudden movement above Lyn's head and she nearly shrieked in fright.

"Don't worry, it's just an owl," Kain told her.

"Can we get out of here yet?" she asked nervously.

"We can as soon as our glorious leader over there tells us which way to go," Ryan informed her.

That was another pebble in George's shoe. Apparently, as soon as the job of navigating fell into his hands, so did the responsibility of leadership. George had little experience in navigating before and, truth to be told, he had less experience leading. The latter was because of two very simple things he observed as a child. One: everybody loves to bring their trouble to the leader. Two: if anything goes wrong, it's the leader's fault. The second proved to be very true when Ryan took an almost childish delight in blaming George for every wrong turn they took.

"Will you guys be quiet there?" he snapped. "I'm trying to find our way out of here."

"Fess up, George. You got us lost again didn't you?" Ryan accused him.

"Of course we're not lost," he retorted. "I just haven't exactly pinpointed exactly where we are at the moment."

"George, that's what the word _lost_ means."

"Nonsense, I think we go north from here."

"Wonderful. And which way exactly is north?"

"Umm," George seemed unable to give a definite answer at the moment. "That way." He pointed at a random direction.

"George, that's exactly the way we came from," Ryan told him.

"I thought you can barely see."

"That's right. I can however, see that you're pointing right at me. And if in front of me is the direction I was going, then behind me must be the direction I came from."

"Okay. I admit it. We're lost," he admitted.

"Guys, maybe we can ask the camp up there," Lyn said, pointing somewhere to her left.

They turned in their saddle and sure enough, there was a dim light there. They nudged their horses towards the light.

The small fire stood in the middle of a clearing and a young woman sat there. She had blond hair that rolled down her shoulder. She wore a white shirt that reflected the light of the fire and a pair of trouser of the same color. There was a Duel Disk strapped to her arm, and a Duel Band on the other arm. What caught their eyes however, was the sheathed blade beside her. Upon seeing them she had hastily got up and yelled, "You'll not take me back."

George, who was pondering her identity when he saw her, jerked up in shock and tried to explain. "Miss, we're not what you think we are," he said but she wasn't listening. Jerking her sword out of the scabbard, she rushed at Lyn, the blade held in front of her.

Lyn would have probably gotten three feet of steel in her gut had she stayed still. But Kain had reacted instantly, driving his horse's shoulder against hers. The smaller horse-Lyn's in this case-lurched to one side and the woman stumbled pass them. Righting herself immediately, she shouted a battle cry and rushed at Kain this time. Kain, who had swung off his horse, sighed irritably. He easily slapped the blade away and landed a solid kick to her gut. She gasped as the wind was knocked out of her but still held onto the blade.

And then Ryan came to the rescue. Swinging off his saddle, he approached the woman slowly with his hands held in front. "Wow, miss, we're not who you think we are," he told her. She looked at them suspiciously, her blade held high. "I'm Ryan," he said, thinking some introduction might reinforce his statement. "That's George. The girl you were attacking is Lyn and the guy who just made a footprint on your shirt is Kain." The last proved to be a wrong thing to say as she looked at her shirt, saw the footprint, and glared at them. But Ryan continued anyway. "We're just a group of travelers and we just happen to wonder if we can ask some directions."

The woman's look was still suspicious, but she had lowered her blade and activated her Duel Disk instead. "The truth of your words cannot be determined," she said. "Therefore, I challenge you to a duel to obtain the truth."

"Trial by combat?" George asked, a little startled. "That's a little old but if that's what you want. Okay, Ryan. You duel her."

"Me? Why me?" Ryan asked without thinking.

"Because you're the one she challenged. Now get to it."

Muttering some uncomplimentary remarks about George, Ryan readied his Duel Disk and summoned Ryu. "This is Ryu, Paladin of White Dragon," he introduced his Soul Monster.

Ryu, noting the woman's sword, held his sword and greeted her. "Greetings, great warrior. May your blade remain keen and your mind sharp."

Oddly enough, the woman also held her sword up and returned the greeting. Shuffling her deck, her hand came to a card which she held up in the air. A bright light shone from the card, forcing the group to shield their eyes. When the light subsided, the group carefully opened their eyes and saw an armored warrior standing beside the woman. His armor was dark blue in color, as was his shield, and both were trimmed with gold. In his hand he held a golden curved sword. Recognizing Ryu's status as a warrior, he bowed in silent greeting.

"Ready?" the woman asked.

"Aren't you at least going to give me your name?" Ryan inquired.

She hesitated a moment before saying, "My name is Ryumi Nanakase. My Soul Monster is Tachi, Black Luster Soldier."

Lyn saw George's eyes widen momentarily before he pressed several buttons on his Duel Band, which opened various options in it she had never known before. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Finding her dueling record," George replied. "You can do it with your Duel Band." He frowned as he saw the results. "Not bad. Not the best I've seen but not bad. Nine duels, seven wins and two loses. She could cause Ryan some trouble."

"We're about to find out," Kain said as the pair activated their Duel Disks. They shifted to one side to give them some space.

Ryan: 8000

Ryumi: 8000

"As the one challenged, I get to go first," Ryan said as he drew his hand. He looked at his hand before grabbing one of the cards. "I'll have to thank Lyn for these," he said absently. "One set monster and one face-down card. Your turn."

Ryumi drew her cards and fanned them out. "If I win, all of you leave at once and forget that you ever saw me. Agreed?"

"What's all the secrecy about?" Ryan asked. "Fine, but if I win, you have to help us."

"Very well. Command Knight (1200/1900) in attack mode." A warrior wearing extremely expensive and elaborate clothing appeared on the field. "This monster increases the attack of all Warrior-Type monsters by 400 points as long as it is face-up (1600/1900). Attack. Command Blade!" The knight drew his sword and slashed at the set card, revealing a purple winged dragon with two heads as hands and destroying it. "End turn."

The dragon suddenly appeared on the field again. However there appeared to be numerous wounds on its body and blood were slowly dripping from them. One of the hands-or heads-appeared to have been severed.

Ryan: 8000

Ryumi: 8000

"Twin-Headed Behemoth (1500/1200) is special summoned at the end of the turn it is destroyed. The only downside is its stats are reduced to 1000 (1000/1000)." Ryumi nodded. "My turn then, draw!" Ryan glanced at his drawn card and his face practically glowed.

"He's got it," George said suddenly.

"Got what?" Lyn asked in a puzzled voice.

"His favorite monster. Watch."

"Time to bring out the big guns," Ryan declared. "I tribute Twin-Headed Behemoth to summon Blue Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)." The legendary dragon replaced the behemoth on the field, expanding its wings and gave a thunderous roar.

"Wait a minute. Blue Eyes White Dragon is a level 8 monster which requires two tributes. How can you summon it with only one?" Ryumi asked.

Ryan merely gestured at Ryu who bowed low. "My ability allows all Light attribute monsters to be summoned with one less tribute, with the exceptions of those which requires one tribute," the Soul Monster explained.

'And now," Ryan pointed at the Command Knight, "Blue Eyes, destroy that one with Burst Stream!" The white dragon gathered energy in its mouth and let loose a stream of pure power towards the monster. It was destroyed instantly. "End turn."

Ryumi drew. _So he plays a dragon deck. I have the perfect card for that but I need to wait a while._ "Fine, Marauding Captain (1200/400) in attack mode." A blond warrior carrying two swords appeared on the field. "When he is normal summoned I can special summon a level 4 or lower monster from my hand. So another Marauding Captain." Another monster shimmered into the field. "End turn."

Ryan grimaced as he saw the two monsters. _Now I have to wait until I can find a way until I can destroy one of those monsters. What's she stalling for anyway? She can't seriously believe there's a monster stronger than Blue Eyes. _He looked at the card he drew. _Just in case…_ "One face-down card and my turn ends."

"I draw." She snapped the card off her Duel Disk and smiled. "Get ready to lose, because I've drawn the card that will bring you down."

"Owh?" Ryan's look grew challenging. "Show me."

"First, Skilled White Magician (1700/1900) in attack mode." Lyn gasped as she saw the white-robed magician on the field.

"What's the matter?" George inquired, puzzled at her behavior.

"She's going to summon Buster Blader," she told them.

"That's right," Ryumi said in confirmation. "Now I play Mystical Space Typhoon on your left face-down card." The wind suddenly picked up and formed a tornado. It headed towards the set card when a hexagram formed at its base and dispersed it.

"Magic Jammer negates the activation of your card and destroys it," Ryan told her as he held up the card. "All it requires is a card. So I discard one."

"Not a bad play. But not good enough either. I play Raregold Armor on Marauding Captain." The warrior's green armor was replaced by a white one trimmed with gold. "Now you cannot attack any other monsters than that Marauding Captain. Next I play Graceful Charity which lets me draw three cards but discard two." She hastily drew three cards and discarded two of them. "Then I play The Warrior Returning Alive to return one Warrior-Type monster from the graveyard to my hand. I'll take the Command Knight I discarded."

Ryan blinked as he saw the orb on Skilled White Magician's staff flicker from black to bronze to silver and finally to gold.

"Then I tribute Skilled White Magician and the three tokens it gained from me activating magic cards to summon Buster Blader (2600/2300) in attack mode." The legendary dragon slayer arose from where the magician once stood, brandishing his massive two-handed sword.

Ryan visibly shrank back when he saw the monster but when he saw the monster's stats he snickered. "What good is he going to do? He's weaker than my Blue Eyes." Everyone else smacked their forehead at this point.

"They say 'ignorance is bliss' but it your case ignorance is going to be pain. Buster Blader's attack is increased by 500 points for each Dragon-Type monster on your field and graveyard (4100/2300)." She was slightly startled to see her monster's attack rising 500 points higher than she thought. _He must have discarded a dragon. _"Attack!" The monster charged at the dragon, his blade held high.

Ryan immediately slammed a button on his Duel Disk and the monster's sword came down on the shield of a blue-armored warrior who suddenly appeared. "Draining Shield negates the attack and increases my Life Points by the same amount of your monster's attack points."

Ryumi nodded and shifted her two Marauding Captains into defense position. She gestured for Ryan to continue.

Ryan: 12100

Ryumi: 6600

Even though he was leading, Ryan desperately drew his next card. "Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards." He drew two and seemed disappointed. "I'll play Heavy Storm." The Marauding Captain's armor was swept away and replaced by his original armor. "Two card face-down. End turn."

Ryumi didn't even bother to look at her drawn card. "Buster Blade, attack!" The monster lifted his blade but a vortex appeared in front of him. Ryumi looked across the field and saw Ryan holding up his Negate Attack trap card. "Until when are you going to stall?" she hissed in annoyance. "End turn."

Ryan drew and finally let out an explosive sigh. "Finally. I thought I was never going to draw it." He looked at Ryumi apologetically. "Sorry miss but you're going to lose. First, I sacrifice my Blue Eyes on the field to summon my last and final Blue Eyes White Dragon."

_Last Blue Eyes, _Ryumi thought? She frowned in confusion. "What good will that do?" she asked Ryan. "And by the way, you're only making my monster stronger (4600/2300)."

"Patiance Ryumi. You don't mind if I call you Ryumi do you?" Without waiting for an answer he continued his move. "Then I activate my face-down Call of the Haunted to revive the Blue Eyes I sacrificed." The dragon rose from the grave to join its brother. "Then I play Monster Reborn to revive the Blue Eyes I discarded." The third and final Blue Eyes joined its brethren on the field.

Ryumi only grew more confused as she saw the dragons being revived. It wouldn't matter if he used Polymerization to fuse them together. Her empowered Buster Blader could still destroy the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

"And finally," Ryan said as he held his final card high before sliding it into his Duel Disk, "I play Delta Attacker. This magic card allows my monsters to directly attack you if they are all of the same name."

Ryumi gasped as the dragons formed into a triangle formation. "No!" she cried out as the dragons unleashed three Burst Streams at her simultaneously.

Ryan: 12100

Ryumi: 0

George laughed and clapped as the duel was concluded. Everyone except Ryumi and Kain gave him a peculiar look. "What's so funny?" Ryan asked.

"Congratulations Ryan. You just found our guide to Georgia." George said, still laughing.

"What?" Ryan exclaimed.

"Nanakase is one of the noble families in Georgia," George explained. "The person you just defeated is Ryumi Nanakase, Sir Ronald Nanakase's only daughter. And she most definitely knows the way to Georgia. Now then Miss Nanakase, since we won, I'll have to ask you to be our guide to Georgia." He looked at the sky. "Since it's very late already, why don't we get some shut eye?" He brushed his hand as if he just closed off a good deal and proceeded to unhook and laid his sleeping bag on the floor.

Ryan stared at George, then at Ryumi who had gone pale, then at George again before finally unhooking his own sleeping bag and went to sleep. Lyn was also staring at Ryumi before unhooking her sleeping bag and unrolling it on the floor. Giving Ryumi a last stare, she went to sleep.

"Here," Kain said, giving his sleeping bag to Ryumi. "I don't need it."

Ryumi nodded dumbly and unrolled the bag on the floor before going to sleep.

Kain approached George and lightly tapped his shoulder.

"What?" George asked sleepily.

"I'll stand guard tonight," Kain told him.

"We won't be attacked by wild animals, Kain."

"That's not what I'm worried about. I think Miss Nanakase there ran away from home. She might try to steal our horses and run away while we sleep."

"Whatever you think best," George muttered before going back to sleep again. He felt another light touch on his shoulder. "Now what?" he snapped a bit irritably.

"Standing guard is easy. You have a problem however. If we do get to Georgia and her father finds her in our company, I'm sure she will have a very colorful story to tell-one that will most probably put us in the worst light possible. So, you have to start coming up a way to either explain or shut her up." That said, Kain leaned on one of the trees and stood guard.

George looked at him a moment before trying to get back to sleep. But that was difficult when you spend all the time inventing new swear words for a certain somebody.

* * *

Rex the emerald dragon: No problem. Thanks for reviewing mine. You keep up the good work too.

DarkFictionWizard: The Isis in my story is similar to the one in the anime because they are the same person. I was too lazy to think of a new name or character :P And you're right about their decks.

john: Now that I think about it, isn't a Dark Magician Deck a dark deck as well? And thanks for the compliment.


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